


Pal Joey meets Judy

by Mostlydaydreaming14



Category: Gene Kelly - Fandom, Judy Garland - Fandom, Jugenea
Genre: Betsy Blair, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:41:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22557292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mostlydaydreaming14/pseuds/Mostlydaydreaming14
Relationships: Gene Kelly - Relationship, Judy Garland - Relationship
Kudos: 6





	Pal Joey meets Judy

Gene Kelly arrived at the theatre that night in a particularly jovial mood. Everything in his life was falling into place. His show “Pal Joey” was a big hit. Back home in Pittsburgh, his studio was still a success. His mom and sister were keeping the family business running like clockwork. Although he helped start it, he left all the profits with his family and chose to make it in New York on his own. And he did, after a couple of years, working his way up from being just a chorus boy, which he hated.  
His current show, in spite of early mixed reviews, was the talk of the town. While Gene himself earned rave reviews across the board, some were turned off by the show’s unapologetically shameless hero and risqué subject matter. But Gene, who played the lead Joey, loved it. The nightly audiences were filled with the rich and famous; actors, actresses, talent scouts, studio heads. It felt like Hollywood might be beckoning soon. He was excited by the possibility, but was still a little wary of Hollywood after a failed screen test a few years back. He didn’t feel like it was a true test of his abilities. He also realized he didn’t fit the mold of a Hollywood star in those days, but now that everyone was gushing over his Broadway performance…maybe it was his time.  
Personally, his love life seemed to be looking up. For years, there was his on-again, off-again girlfriend Helene. He’d met her in Pittsburgh, as a dancer in one of his shows. She was beautiful, intelligent, and certainly devoted to him. He shared with her all his thoughts and dreams for the future and she would listen attentively and support him completely. He knew she was madly in love with him and wanted to marry him. She moved to New York first and invited him to come along and move in with her. Although he spent some nights over at her place, he balked at moving in completely. There was with one glaring impediment in their relationship. She was Jewish, and although her family may not have totally approved, Gene knew his mother would’ve completely blown her top. A staunch Catholic, it was inconceivable to her that her grandchildren might be raised any other way.  
Now Gene himself, didn’t care. He had secretly renounced his religion in college anyway and now considered himself agnostic. But he thought going against his mother on something like this would kill her. Although Gene was independent and certainly not an outright mama’s boy, they had grown quite close starting the family business together when he was still just a teenager. They bonded out of necessity to keep their family afloat during the depression. She still held some influence over him.  
Even so, he had grown to love Helene, or at least he thought he did, and so he tried to convince her to convert. He figured if she really loved him she’d convert, since she wasn’t overly religious herself. And she figured if he really loved her, he wouldn’t ask her to. Even if she had drifted away from her faith, she still considered it part of who she was. They would break up and get back together, each time thinking, this time it would be different. Now, Gene was on the verge of breaking it off again. He was slowly seeing less and less of her. He still felt a little ashamed of himself because even when he decided he wasn’t going to marry her, he did continue to go by her place on occasion. Quite frankly, the sex was still good. Good enough to make him reconsider the breakup, at least until they started talking again.  
Nowadays, he was most preoccupied with Betsy, this new young girl he’d been seeing. He met Betsy at a nightclub when she came in for an audition. He thought she was cute and precocious and he enjoyed it when she became flustered every time he smiled at her. She piqued his interest so much, that when he found out how naïve she really was about the world, he took it upon himself to educate her. He took her under his wing and let her tag around with him and his friends. He started spending so much time with her in fact, that his best friend Dick started excusing himself early, feeling like a third wheel. He surprised her and himself the first time he kissed her. She’d gone from being like a kid sister to him, to being his girl, but she was still quite young. She wasn’t of legal age yet, and since Gene didn’t want to get arrested, he would gently push away on those occasions when their necking started getting too heavy. He could tell she wanted more but he kept reminding her that she was too young for all that. He knew when he walked her home she was feeling frustrated but she didn’t know he was feeling frustrated too. On some nights, he would go to Helene’s or visit one of the chorus girls in the show, who were ready and willing (and legal). Even so, she seemed to be getting further entrenched into his daily life. He started planning his day around when they would see each other again. He suddenly realized he might even be falling in love with her.  
She was vibrant and intelligent for her age to be sure, but she was also quite innocent. And likely due to her innocence, he felt an intense need to protect her and take care of her. But could he see himself marrying her? That was the question. A question he figured could wait since she wasn’t even eighteen years old yet.  
That night after he arrived at the theatre, he could see some excitement going on backstage. Someone said Judy Garland was in the crowd. He peered out and saw her in the front row. She’d come to see him in his last show too. She was talking and laughing with others in her group. He smiled and thought, “she’s beautiful but she’s so little, I bet I could lift her over my head with one arm.” His thoughts were broken by the voices of the crew behind him, urging everyone to get ready.  
“She’s got to come backstage to meet me again,” he thought to himself, feeling a little excited. He clapped his hands together ready to put on a good show for her.  
Over the course of the show, he danced harder, sang with more gusto, and infected his Joey with more energy than he ever had before. The response from the crowd was definitive. They loved his portrayal of that charming scoundrel. And as he came out to a standing ovation, he saw Judy standing and clapping enthusiastically with a broad grin on her face. He thought, “yeah she’s going to come back to see me.” He went backstage and paced in his dressing room until he heard a knock on the door. He tried to look nonchalant as a member of the crew came in, “Gene, Judy Garland would like to meet you.”  
“Yeah, yeah. Sure.” He said trying to contain his excitement.  
To his disappointment, she came in with her whole entourage. “Gene, I thought you were wonderful tonight,” she said as she held out her hand. He took it as several others in her group voiced the same. He nodded and thanked them as he and Judy’s eyes met. There was a spark. There was one on their first meeting too, but he dismissed it as his imagination. He didn’t think it was imagination now, as she took her other hand to gently cover his with a light caress. They kept looking into one another’s eyes until someone else in her group said, “say, why don’t you guys go out together?”  
“Oh yes,” she exclaimed with a smile, “why don’t we all go out to the club.”  
“Yeah, sure. I’d love to.” He spoke without even thinking.  
“We’ll wait out front while you finish getting ready.”  
As soon as they closed the door, he remembered, “Oh, shit, I forgot Betsy.” He remembered he was supposed to meet her at Louis Bergen’s after the show. He called the bar, but she wasn’t there yet, so he relayed a message as to why he couldn’t come. After he hung up, he realized he could have invited her to meet Judy, but for some reason he didn’t want to. He didn’t know why. He just wanted to see Judy by himself. He told himself it can’t possibly for anything romantic. She’s a star, totally out of his league. She’s being nice, that’s all. He finished getting dressed and met them outside the theater.  
They arrived at the Copacabana with all her entourage, including her mother, in tow. He saw there was a large table, front and center, reserved for all of them. He sat down uncomfortably. This wasn’t his crowd at all. He spotted a reporter off to the side chatting with some in the group. “Publicity,” he thought slightly peeved. “This was all for publicity.” He ordered a drink and turned to Judy, who was sitting next to him.  
“So is this your usual routine?” He asked.  
“Yeah I guess so, it’s been kind of like this my whole life.” She saw the look on his face. “I’m sorry, you don’t like this do you? When I wanted to go out tonight, they suggested to do a ‘Judy’s night out on the town’ sort of thing. I suggested coming to see you and having dinner together. They decided it would be good publicity for us both.”  
She looked down shyly, “I really just wanted to get to know you better. I loved you in “The Time of Your Life,” she looked up and her eyes lit up. “And I thought you were marvelous tonight in “Pal Joey.”  
He smiled sheepishly too, “thanks. I saw you in the crowd. I tried to put on a good show for you.”  
When he looked up, he was shocked to find the whole table was staring at them. He could feel himself getting embarrassed. Could they see what he was feeling? Suddenly, he wasn’t hungry anymore. Then an idea came to him to get away.  
“Would you like to dance?” he asked Judy, who looked pleased at the suggestion.  
“Yes, I’d love to.”  
He took her hand and led her to the dance floor. He slid his hand around her waist and pulled her close. He wasn’t surprised that she danced beautifully in his arms. Not surprisingly either, everyone at the table was still watching them like hawks.  
“What do they think I’m going to do, rape you or something?” Gene had finally had enough. “Look if you want to go out, I’ll take you, but I’ve had enough of this.”  
Judy’s eyes got wide as though she was getting ready to do something that wouldn’t be approved of. “Ok.” She said in a hushed voice.  
“Alright,” he smiled, “so go tell your mother we’re going and let’s go.”  
She rushed over to her mother and whispered into her ear and rushed back to Gene. He could see her mom was surprised and started to say something but he didn’t wait. He took Judy’s hand and led her out of the club. She looked excited and said, “so, where should we go to first?”  
“I know a few clubs that are a lot more fun without all that fake show.”  
He took her to his favorite Polish club.  
As he brought her in, he was prepared to defend her from an onslaught of fans if necessary, but the patrons there were awed but respectful. Gene led them to a table and sat down but Judy had already begun interacting with others at the bar. He saw her relaxed, gregarious side coming out as she chatted and laughed alongside some of her fans. He admired her from a distance until she came back tugging at his arm, “come on, let’s dance.” They danced several dances together, clearing the floor at one point, until they finally returned to their table to catch their breath. They shared a drink together before she excitedly continued, “where to next.”  
He laughed, “Let’s try one a little less raucous.” He took her to another one. This time he had slow dancing on his mind. Seated again over drinks, she asked him, “so why did you invite me out like this?” Her eyes were sparkling towards him, so he knew this was a leading question. “The same reason you asked me,” he returned, “I wanted to get to know you better. And I couldn’t do that with that circus at the Copacabana. I hope I didn’t get you into any trouble.”  
“Oh you mean my mother. Hell with her. I’m tired of her running my life.” She suddenly looked very sad. Like the weight of the world was stacked on her shoulders. He saw it and tried to help.  
“Come on,” he took her hand and led her onto the dance floor, pulling her close. She laid her head on his shoulder and leaned into him. Her arms clutched him a little tighter. He could feel her vulnerability…her fragility. It felt as though, if he let her go, she might fall and break into a million pieces. He kissed her gently on the top of her head and held her closer. They danced like that inseparably for several songs, until she finally looked up when a song ended, “that was lovely, what should we do now?”  
She acted as if she wanted to fit a lifetime into just a few hours.  
He looked down on her tenderly, brushing back a wisp of hair from her face. “Let’s go take a walk in the park.”  
As they walked and talked, it was starting to get chilly so he wrapped his jacket around her shoulders. He could see her good mood was returning. “You know, you were brilliant tonight. I just know you’ll be brilliant in the movies.”  
He laughed ruefully, “I don’t know if they’d want my ugly kisser spread across the big screen.”  
She stopped and faced him, looking resolute. “I happen to think you’re very handsome. You’ll make a wonderful leading man.” When he couldn’t say anything in return, she turned and kept walking.  
“Well I think so anyway, we’ll make a movie together one day. Just you wait and see.”  
“That would be wonderful,” he said when he finally found his voice. “But…” He was flattered but skeptical.  
“Imagine you in musicals,” she continued, “with the way you sing and dance, why you could be the next Fred Astaire.”  
Gene marveled at the little spitfire she’d become. Just earlier that evening she looked like a lost little girl, he had to onto to keep from breaking.  
“That would be a dream come true, but…” he was starting to catch her enthusiasm but he was afraid of the fall.  
“Oh, Gene I know you can do it. I know you will do it.”  
“Judy…” he stopped and caressed her cheek. He tried to say something but he couldn’t. Instead he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. “Thank you.”  
Her big brown eyes looked up at him as if peering into his soul. “I really do believe in you, Gene. I think you’re wonderful.”  
He leaned in and kissed her more deeply as she wrapped her arms around his neck. His kisses trailed down her neck until they were startled by a siren in the distance.  
He reset himself. “I guess I should be getting you home to your mother. It must be getting close to four.”  
“Where do you live?” Judy asked, “Do you live close by?”  
“Not too far, why?” His heart skipped a beat nervously, as if he had an inkling as to why.  
“I just want us to be alone …so we can talk awhile longer.”  
“Yeah...sure, of course.” He’d been through conversations like this before, but never with anyone like Judy Garland. He could feel his heart beating in his chest. He hoped she didn’t see he was starting to get excited. He walked her back to his apartment and as he closed the door and turned, “there’s not much to it.”  
“I don’t care,” she moved in close, and began kissing him. He was surprised but quickly acquiesced.  
“Oh Gene, make love to me.”  
“Judy…yes baby”, as they kissed passionately and began peeling off each other’s clothes. He picked her up and leaned her against the wall as he entered her.  
“Ohhh…” she cried out loud. “Yes…”  
He continued thrusting her against the wall as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He couldn’t remember feeling so aggressive making love before.  
“Oh Gene, yes right there…”  
He slowed until he found where she wanted him.  
He continued until she cried out and began to tremor and he thrust himself into her once more and shuttered as he came too.  
He stood holding her breathlessly against the wall before he carried her to the sofa and held her on his lap.  
“Are you ok baby?” he whispered.  
“Yes,” she whispered back. “You were wonderful baby,” nuzzling his neck.  
“That was…amazing. But what was that all about?” when he had the nerve to ask.  
“I just wanted us to make love...Before I left to go back to LA. Everything was so perfect between us. I didn’t want it to end.”  
“Do you have to go back now? Do you have another movie or…” he didn’t want to think of what else.  
“Gene…I’m engaged. I know it’s a bad time to tell you,” she looked down, as if struggling to explain, “but he’s nothing like you. I guess…I do love him but he’s nothing like you at all.”  
Gene took little solace in this as he was just starting to become totally smitten by her. The idea of sending her back now to another man was heart-rending.  
“I see…” as he sat her down on the sofa and began putting his clothes back on. “I’ll take you back to your hotel.”  
“But Gene it was wonderful wasn’t it?” She looked up at him with sad eyes, pleading. “The dancing…The walk through the park…You don’t regret it now do you?”  
He smiled in spite of himself. “No I don’t regret it. It was a wonderful night. I’ll never forget.” He kissed her gently. “Come on. Let me get you back.”  
As they walked down the street to her hotel, she knew he was disappointed in how the night ended, so she continued, “We will work together one day, I promise you that. I know you’ll be famous. The next Fred Astaire.”  
“I hope so, Judy,” he quietly agreed and kissed her on the forehead. “I hope so.”  
Her face was a mixture of happy and sad. He could tell she wanted to please him and make him happy. “I’ll see you in LA,” she tried offering cheerily.  
“Take care of yourself Judy, please.” He said it solemnly and he meant it. Because now, he really did believe she was like a fragile little girl who could break far too easily. He hoped there was someone else out there to protect her, but he didn’t think there was.  
On the way back to his apartment, he tried to think of a good explanation for Betsy, if his “date” with Judy really did end up in the newspapers.


End file.
